Al-Mu'minun · Makki · ayah 86 of 118

Al-Mu'minun 23:86

قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلسَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ

“Say, "Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne?"”

Saheeh International

Essence

The questions climb from the ground to the seven heavens to the Throne, and with every rung the questioner's own height shrinks.

A reflection

Rising in the basket at dawn

A family takes a balloon flight for a birthday. At first, from the basket, they can pick out their own street and wave at the neighbours. A few minutes later the town is a toy. Then the county is a patchwork. Then there is only the curve of the horizon, and the sky above it as large as ever.

The questions in this passage climb in the same way. First: to whom belongs the earth (23:84)? Now: who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Mighty Throne? Next it will be: in whose hand is the dominion of everything (23:88)? One major commentator notes the order. The earth was mentioned first, the heaven second, and then the ruling is made universal.

Each rung makes the human being smaller. On the ground, a man can still imagine himself important. His house, his clan, his name in the market. Lift the frame to seven heavens and he is a speck. Lift it to the Throne, which two concise commentaries call the greatest and highest of created things, and the speck disappears.

The ego survives by keeping the frame small. It measures itself against neighbours and rivals, never against the heavens. The ayah forces the frame open.

Does Allah need this question answered? No. The heavens are His whether or not anyone looks up. But a person who has once seen the curve of the horizon behaves differently on the ground. Pride needs a small sky.

So look up tonight, for longer than usual. Let the question land: who is Lord of all that? The answer will not make you feel worthless. It will make you feel the right size.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.